Progress (Or Maybe Not)

I have actually been getting quite a few things done that have been nagging me (no, not the big things that have been on my list since last year, but others) and that feels great. Thing is, most of them aren't on the list, so what do I do? I add them to the list of course so that I can then strike them out....duh!!!

One of the things that I have wanted to do was get all my book posts on my reading blog switched over to Powell's from Amazon because I am not doing business with Amazon anymore. While I was waiting to do this, I had made most of my old posts into drafts so they wouldn't be seen and therefore the links to Amazon would not be available. This included all of my year end recaps.

Okay, so the other day, I spend a fair amount of time updating that blog with my new post for July which had all my books from our trip listed in it. While I am on there, I figure, what the heck, why not just get the update for the year ending 2007 done and then fix those other posts. I do this.

Now, here is the bad part.

After I was all done, I go to view the blog and realize that in the year end recaps, the html I was using to show little stars for rating of books, was not showing little stars in anything but Internet Explorer. Well, if you know from a previous post, I recently switched over to Firefox from IE because it pissed me off one day, and that is how I am...I love using Firefox now but there are small (miniscule actually) cases where I still do need to go on the web in IE. Anyhow, I wanted the posts to show stars in Firefox so I did some searching and found some html that would work to make this happen.

I went back to the recaps (which mind you have only been re-published for one day at this point) to get this done. Basically, I copied the html (Ctrl C) I needed to use, and then selected the old area, deleted it with a backspace and then pasted in the html from my clipboard using my keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl V). This worked fine on two of the recaps and most of a third. Unfortunately, one of the quirky things about Firefox is that sometimes it doesn't get along with Blogger....and what is selected in the post editing window is not what gets deleted....you can see where this is going, right?

Yep, that is right. For my 2005 book list, most of it was deleted during this process of modification, but it was happening above where I could see in the ITTY BITTY POST EDITING WINDOW BLOGGER GIVES US. So I dind't notice it until I had already re-published the post......

As soon as I realized what had happened, I tried to get back to the previous version and couldn't (those fast Blogger servers), and even tried to find a cached copy of it online. Unfortunately, that didn't work either because the recaps were posts that hadn't be online except for that day and therefore hadn't been recently cached by the search engines. I even wrote to our friendly Blogger Employee (being a Blog*Star does sometimes have its perks) and he was not able to help me retrieve even a text copy of it.

So if there is anyone out there that does read my reading blog regularly and might have printed or saved a copy of my 2005 list to read from....I would love a copy of it....otherwise it is just one more thing lost to the ethernet...

Right now, I have the post saved as draft until I can figure something out. I don't own most of the books I read during that time anymore so I don't even know where to start to recompile it. I DIDN'T BACK UP the post like I SHOULD have.....back up, people, back up,...I am living proof of losing something you don't want to lose.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Amazing Skies

Another Product Down The Tubes

Well, I was a huge fan of Pond's Clean Sweep cloths until this week. A few weeks back, the packaging changed on their product. On the 30 count package (which is in plastic "babywipe" kind of set up), they added a cereal box type outer package with "new look" printed on it. This box-like package is immediately thrown away the first time you open the package. The only reason for it I can find is to make the product easier to stack on the shelves at the store.

So I email Pond's about it....actually the email ended up at Unilever, the parent company. With a week of traffic going back and forth, I get nothing but a canned response the first time, with no LEGITIMATE reason for adding unnecessary packaging to a perfectly good package, and further responses ask me to call their CS line....like those fools that answer the phones are going to know why some marketing person made an executive decision to increase the useless packaging in the world.

So I sent them a note telling them that since they can't seem to take the time and explain to a loyal customer the reasoning behind the new useless packaging, I was going to stop using their product because it is increasing the waste in the world, not improving it.

I hope this blog article causes you to do the same. I will get off my soap box now....thanks.

Note: In the second picture, the box is just slipped over the same plastic packaging in the first picture. You can't open the product from the outside of the box, it has to be removed and then you are just left with the original plastic packaging....the second picture doesn't do the point I am trying to make justice but it was the only picture I could find of it

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Back On Island

Mishka's Reading

I finally got a chance today (really had other things on my plate but got sucked into this somehow) to update my reading blog with my read's from July (while we were on vacation). I also fixed all the links on all my other posts that were previously pointing to Amazon (because I don't do business with them anymore) and now the links all point to Powells.

Lastly, I did the year-end consolodation for 2007....it is about time...since we are already in August...huh?

Anyhow, if you have time check out the links and perhaps you will find some good reads in there for you as well.

Out of Habit

Since our vacation, I have had a hard time getting time in the day to read blogs...I got used to not reading them much while we were gone and I was paying for every second of Internet time and now it is hard to get back to it....I am lurking on a few and I am still trying to keep things under control via my Google reader, but I am not as active as I was a month ago...that is for sure.

Another thing I am not doing much of is helping out on the Blogger Help boards....and I do need to get back to that...and pronto...haha.

On the other hand, I seem to have found time to take on a few other projects (fodder for another post)...so I guess that is good....or bad...depending on how you look at it.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Hitting Bumps But Living Through It

Eclipse

Don't forget about the eclipse....especially if you are in a spot to see it. We might get to see it right around sunset here....but they are also going to broadcast it on NASA TV if you want to check it out from a location that won't get a good view....

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Three Years Ago on In My Words....Next Blog Please

Contacts

If you don't drop the contact into the actual contact case before adding the solution, you will wake up to a crusty clear thing stuck to your countertop.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Beading Again

Second Level of Hell

Okay, first I get talked into joining Myspace by my sister and my neice as a way for us to all stay in touch more and I really don't mind it now that I have it set up the way I want it to be and I don't download anything from it so I have not had any virus or trojan issues with it.

Now, I have started using Facebook as well. Hitch here is that I had to use my real name so I can't open it up to loyal readers here, unless you already know me in real life.....sorry, but I have to secure my anonymonity anyway I can (or at least delude myself that I have some, whichever the case may be), so if you are a family member or friend that is using Facebook and reads my blog, send me a add request and we'll get connected.

So far, I have had some fun customizing it and playing around with some of the applications....

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...No Watering Needed

Chatan Summer Carnival

Last night, J and I were supposed to meet some friends for dinner but didn't end up finding them so we ate some sushi at a "sushi go round" place near the Ferris Wheel. It wasn't the place that I really like to go to but they were super busy so we opted for the second best place in the area.

Anyhow, after eating our fill, we decided to walk a bit. We ended up heading towards Sunset beach because there were tons of people around and it seemed like something had to be going on. We were right.....once again, I had stumbled upon the Chatan Summer Carnival. I did this once before when my sister was visiting several years ago.

So we hung out, watched a bit of the music acts, had a few drinks and then realized that, like most festivals in Japan, there would be fireworks at some point.

Eventually they did start and there was one part where they shot out these red ones onto the water in front of us. Everyone assumed it was a dud that went to low or something but it turned out that it was the set up for a series of fireworks that were launched off the water into these beautiful arcs. I had never seen them done that way before so it was completely cool.

I took a bunch of pictures but these are three of the 6 best ones that came out....enjoy.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Rogue Valley

On Our Way

We are on our way home....in Bangkok now. Will be in Oki tomorrow...on a timed computer so I have to make this fast. Will update all the blogs with pictures and stories when I get a chance.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Grand Theft Auto

Chase Update

She is doing much better now. The medicine must have kicked in and my friend P who is watching her for me said she is eating and drinking like normal now. She has even gotten a bit frisky.

Retraining will have to occur when we get home since she is sleeping in their son's bed but oh well, I am just glad she is feeling well and in a happy environment....she just might not want to come home with us....haha.

I pick her up the morning after we get back for a grooming appointment...what a way to reintroduce her to us right? Poor thing but she'll feel better in the heat, not having that fur.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Carpet Freshener

First Time

Yesterday, J and I took a cab over to a different (busier) section of the island to catch a movie. We ended up seeing the new Dark Knight one and it was pretty good.

Interesting thing about movies here, there are about 1/2 hour of previews, and then they plan the national anthem that everyone stands up for. I think this is pretty cool, and even though I don't understand it, I know it is about their king and how much they love him and hope that he has a long life.

While we were in the movies, the power went out. This is the first time that I have ever had this happen and it was kind of weird because we were inside of a mall as well. I guess the whole place went down because of a huge monsoon outside. It only took a few minutes to come back up and the emergency lights were on the whole time we were waiting but while we sat there, we could hear the wind and rain pounding the building. It sounded like a typhoon to me.

By the time we got out of the flick, the rain had stopped and we cabbed it back to our side of the island to get some dinner and some Muay Thai fighting in. The roads in some spots were flooded over so it must have been coming down in buckets while we were in the mall but we missed most of it.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Bend Rocks

Smoking

Okay, these are the options:

1. Smoking has become popular in Europe again and I just didn't know it therefore just about everyone smokes that lives there.

2. The only tourists from Europe are smokers.

3. Tourists from Europe become smokers while on holiday.

The smokers are driving me nuts. The only meals that I don't have to deal with it are at lunch when we eat at this little tiny (3 tables) Thai place that no tourists would ever go in.

No matter where I sit in our open air restaurant at the hotel, I am downwind from a smoker...I am sick of it. I guess I am spoiled being able to eat just about anywhere in the US and not dealing with it anymore.

NOTE: Sorry to all those smokers out there that read my blog, but since I know most of you in person, I know you are the considerate kind of smokers that don't do it when you know it bothers others around you....these tourists are not that type. They seem to think that everyone should enjoy smoking as much as them and since they are on holiday, no one else matters but them.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...The Swing of Things

Great Book

I'll obviously update my reading blog for July at the end of the month and all the books I have read on vacation will be included but I wanted to say that I just finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and it was terrific. I read it in two days flat and just couldn't put it down.

I highly recommend it as well as "The Kite Runner" if you haven't read it as well.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Traveling Update

Geocaching on the Road

A few days ago, I found my first Thailand cache....amazing, I know, that I hadn't found one in Thailand before but I hadn't for some weird reason. So now I have Thailand as one of the countries I have found caches in. This one was located near a Wat that I probably wouldn't have seen if it weren't for the cache, and that is a great thing. The bad thing was that it was hidden in a spot that could have been better but oh well, it isn't my cache so I can't judge too much.

While in Taiwan, I found 3 caches during our travels and they were all pretty good ones. Two were in tourist destinations we were already headed for and one was in this park at the top of a hill near a pottery village and we really had to hike our butts off to get it. The view at the top was worth it and we found it once we got up there without a lot of trouble...and only a few pints of blood lost to mosquitos.

So on this trip, I have been able to add two new countries to my list and had some fun. I picked up a coin that I will drop in Japan when we get home...the cache here was a micro so no option to drop it there...

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Making a Dent

Chase Update

Okay, word is that, besides being stressed out at the kennel, she also has a cold that requires the antibiotics. She received one dose at the emergency vet and then is on a two week eye/nose course so she must have an infection from the cold.

I noticed her heaving a bit a few days before we left but I just assumed it was from a hairball or something....didn't think for a second that she had a cold....the stress must have made it worse.

One of our brand new friends (seriously, I only met P a few weeks ago for the very first time) took Chase home today and she is already being spoiled and looked after. She probably won't want to come home with us....haha. It is amazing to me at times how awesome friends can be in our lives but time and time again, ours have proven to be so.

P has two cats of her own that are still in the states getting through quarantine so her family has been missing them quite a bit and Chase will fill in nicely especially since she loves to be petted....(much like a dog in that regard). I am thrilled with her to be out of the kennel, and I hope the drugs do the trick and she is back to her normal self in no time.

I am also thrilled that I don't have to worry about her too much the remainder of our trip and can count on our wonderful friends in Japan to be looking out for us in such a huge way.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Ahhhemmmm

Chase Issues

I got an email from my friend who is listed as the emergency contact for my cat while we are away, that Chase has been having issues at the kennel. I guess she is not eating and when she does, she throws it up. They took her to the emergency vet a couple of times and then to another vet the other day. They rehydrated her and have her taking some antibiotics and hopefully that will clear things up.

The consensus is that she is stressing out at the kennel. They moved her to a room that has no other cats in it to see if that will help. I have another friend that is willing to take her home for the remainder of the trip so that might be an option too. Lastly, I have a list of friends that have offered to visit her at the kennel so she doesn't feel so lonely if she does end up staying there.

I feel so bad for her. Last time she was at the kennel was when we moved back to Japan and she did fine but we were visiting her a lot and this time she has been on her own (even though it is a shorter stay). I am sure that has her worried. I am hoping with the help of my friends we can get her back on track and she'll be fine (but slightly pissed at us) when we get home.

We can't change our flight plans from the island here so that basically locks us into the flight plans out of Bangkok as well so there is no going back early...she will just have to tough it out like the rest of us.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...First Flight

Irritation

There is little that irritates me more than idiots that travel half way around the world and then do nothing but bitch about why it not just like home.....I say STAY HOME, if you want it to be just like home....jackasses!

These English folks today practically yelled at their Thai waitress because she didn't understand that they wanted English style hot tea.....duh, you are Thailand dipshits, if you want English tea, bring it with you or go home.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Hanging In Independence

Reading on Vacation

Reading on vacation is awesome. What a way to spend some time on a chair in the shade near the water. I love it. I just finished up Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and it was a fantastic book. I can't believe I hadn't read it before. I was ordering The Five People You Meet In Heaven and saw that this was an earlier book and decided I needed to read it first.

This book hit home so much with me right now. Partly because of some things I have been thinking about lately but also because it completely matches my philosophy on life in general (even if I can't live it all the time).

This book is definitely one of the best for me this year. It has to be just great timing. I can't wait to get to the next one either (I haven't seen the movie yet), but that one will come further into the trip....perhaps I need to get one of those highspeed ebook readers so I don't have to lug all my books with me. Unfortunately, there is something I love about the pages....perhaps the ebook reader would be good for some instances but not all. I know I can't leave real books behind no matter how advanced technology gets....

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...I Don't Miss The Bugs

Reading Update

I updated Mishka's Reading with my June reads....check it out if you have time. I'll have plenty to update in July since I plan to get a few books under my belt on a chair near the beach in Thailand....

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Three Years Ago on In My Words....Laziness

Happy Fourth Of July

I just wanted to wish everyone that celebrates it a Happy Fourth of July. We are celebrating it in Taiwan this year....I'll have to let you know how it goes. Have a safe and fun filled holiday!!!!

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Classic Soft Rock

Saying Goodbye Again

Today was a tough one for me. I had to say goodbye to two close friends this morning after coffee because they both might be gone before I come back from my trip. I am going to miss them terribly and our days will not be the same without them. A and R are friends I have know for a few years but we really all got so much closer in the last year and that makes the goodbyes even harder.

Then this afternoon the dreaded goodbye with my friend K happened. It kind of snuck up on us in the middle of a bunch of other stuff we were doing so we were okay at the moment but I cried the entire way home after seeing her. I am going to miss so much about her, and her companionship for me is just a part of it. I love her family like it was my own and I know my life will feel very empty without them here to keep me amused and busy.

I am glad I didn't have to do an airport goodbye with anyone....just the anticipation of it would have been too much for me, especially with our trip too.

I wish they didn't have to go but I know that they are going onto a new phase and they are looking forward to it even though they will miss their time here with us.

We love you all....and wish you the best. Please stay in touch and let us know if we can send any little bits of the island your way so you won't feel so far away....

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Relief

Two Days Out

We are only two days out from our trip starting. We are planning to leave here for Taiwan and spend about 4 days in Taiwan with some friends that live there. It should be a great time, especially with our own personal tour guides. I have already printed some geocache pages so I can get at least on in Taiwan and add another country to my profile map.

On the 5th, fly to Bangkok and plan to spend a few days there. I am going to get some ingredients for food I can't get here and ship them home from the US Embassy...and I think J is going to take care of some business too. I don't know for sure that we will get a Venus jewelry trip in but I am always up for it, if it comes up.

On the 8th, we will fly down to Koh Samui. We have been there before. The airport is just like a scene out of Fantasy Island (and if any of you don't know what Fantasy Island is, you are too young to be reading my blog...haha). I think last time we were there, we weren't all over the digital camera yet so we'll have to see how much our pictures will improve this time. We will hang there for two weeks and then fly back to Bangkok the night before our flight back here......

It should be a lot of fun, relaxation and great food!!!!!

In the meantime, I am trying to get all the "to do before the trip" things done so we are set to go.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Tears

Thanks for Thursday

I have not forgotten about this project...I have just been very busy the last few weeks. While I am on vacation, I probably won't be able to update the blog too much (although I might have a few posts that I schedule to post early) so know that I will be back at it in full force when I return from vacation and stay tuned for any little updates I do manage to get in while we are on the road.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words....Family Reunion

The Ocean

Why is it that the ocean has such a huge effect on me? I was walking the other morning for exercise but because we have a typhoon churning in the region the winds were gusty and the water was rough-looking. This cause the ocean to smell awesome (usually here you don't smell the ocean as much unless the tide is out and there is plenty of kelp).

As I was walking along the beach at one point, I had to stop, face the water, close my eyes and just breathe it all in. It always makes me want to contemplate life and to write....now I know why so many writers (in movies and such) are writing at the shore....it just moves you to be creative and bigger than yourself.

I love it and I don't know how I am going to live so far away from it ever again.....I think I might have to have a beach home to escape to in the future when I am not on an island surrounded by the lovely ocean anymore.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Open and Moving

Typhoon Fengshen

This one isn't supposed to hit us but as you can see from the picture it has run right across the middle of the Philippines. They had a ferry capsize and they are presuming all 740 people on it died....terrible news.

We'll see if this one makes any changes to its path in the next few days...

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...A. Retentive That's What I Am

Been Busy

I have not forgotten to blog, I have just not had time lately to be as consistent of a blogger as normal. In a few weeks we will be on vacation in Taiwan and Thailand and I know my blogging will really slow down so I am hoping to get a few posts written in advance and then schedule them to publish while I am gone...when I get back, I will definitely be updating my travel blog and those that are subscribed to it will get notice on that. I'll try to post a bit more in the next week and then while we are on vacay but I am not taking my laptop and I don't know how much blogging I'll do from public computers...we'll see.

Anyhow, just wanted to update you on my situation and circumstances...hehe.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Quick Trip Review II

Turtle Sitting

My friend K is moving soon and while I adopted her fish, I am only fostering her turtle until a better home can be found for him. He is cute but I am just not really a turtle person (now watch, I'll end up with him until we leave and I will have become a turtle person).




Anyhow, I have put the word out that he needs a home and hopefully I can find one for him soon. If not, I'll have to take him over to a friend's while we are in Thailand so he can be fed everyday...haha.

Know anyone that wants a turtle?

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Storage is Gone

New Aquarium Friends

I adopted these guys from K as her family is getting ready to move back to the States next month. These are not all of the ones I got but the ones that would sit still long enough for me to get pictures of them. Note how all of her fish are huge compared to mine.....I don't feed mine twice a day...in fact, all of hers are on a diet they probably don't appreciate right now...haha.






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Three Years Ago on In My Words...And Then There Were Four

Hair Cut

Yesterday, I stopped in a beauty salon on the chance that they could get me in for a quick trim. I need to color my hair (yes, I have had grays since I was 19), and didn't want to waste color on split ends (especially since they tend to grab more color and then look funny for a few days).

I was able to get in and the nice Japanese lady that cut my hair was awesome. I told her to just take off the damaged stuff. My hair grows pretty fast so I am not one of those that freaks out if more than an inch is taken off.

The thing that was interesting about this cut was that she didn't wet my head or wash my hair. She put some product on it and then flat ironed. Did I mention that I have very curly hair? Like spirally curly hair? Okay, well I do. Anyhow, she straightened it all out and then trimmed the ends. It was so weird for me to see myself with straight dry hair (because of course it is straight when I get out of the shower). It stayed straight the rest of the day too (even with the high humidity we have). I will wash it this morning and the curls will be back but the whole experience reminds me a bit of when I was a kid.

I had straight hair (or mostly straight hair) until puberty. I looked a bit like Laura Ingalls when my mom would braid it. Anyhow, on occasion if we washed our hair at night, my mom would roll our hair up in soft rollers for us to sleep on. My sister had board straight hair (which is curlier now too), and even with the all-night roller treatment, her hair would not hold the curl, but mine would. It was always a shock to see all the curls and how big my hair seemed. It was just the opposite yesterday. It seemed like my hair was much smaller and controlled than I have seen it in a long time. I kind of liked it (but probably not enough to buy a good ceramic straightener). It was cool to be able to pull a brush through it before going to bed.

Oh, and did I mention that she ended up cutting 3 inches off? No? Well she did. With the straight hair, it doesn't seem that short but I think I am in for a bit of a shock when the curls spring back up later today....it was touching my waist when I as in the shower and I am not sure it will hit my back strap line now....oh well, it grows fast and now I can color it before our trip and enjoy the healthiness of it the entire time.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Quick Trip Review

CDC: Salmonella-tainted tomato illnesses reach 228 - Yahoo! News

In case I needed another reason to buy local veggies....

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Three Years Ago on In My Words....Pavlov's Dog

Backdated Thursday Thanks

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I know...this is late, but late is better than not posting it at all...things have gotten a lot more busy around here, and I still feel like I am not getting enough done but that is for another post I presume.

Anyhow, I am thankful for the fathers in my life. I figure with this being Father's Day week, this would be appropriate. I know that most people only think of one person as their father, and I probably do buy more Father's Day cards than anyone I know but I like to take this holiday as a way to thank all the father's in my life for what they do.

Okay, first off there was my biological father. We didn't have the closest relationship but I do have to thank him for contributing to my creation and then for not interferring too much in my life afterwards. I know this sounds cold but in reality, I am better off for not having grown up with him. There is just not a better way to say that. We did have our moments and there are plenty of traits that I attribute to him and I would thank him for the good ones if he was around to thank. I wish we would have had a better relationship but I don't know that I could have done much to fix that on my own.

Now, there is my Dad....the one, the man of my life for the longest time. My dad is awesome...as I am sure you can tell from my many postings about him (go ahead, you can search and find him all over this place). Regardless of genes, he is one of the two most influencial people in my life and has a direct connection to the person I have turned out to be. I have posted about him before on Thursday Thanks so I won't go into much more on this subject, but my dad rocks....just so you know.

Next there are the grandpas....yes, plurals work here. There was Grandpa Jolly, who died way to early for my taste but I remember as a lot of fun and smiles. There was Grandpa V who I don't really remember but my mom tells me loved me like crazy. I had two Grandpa's on my dad's side who I don't remember at all. There was Grandpa Les who was absolutely the closest thing to a teddy bear that you can find in a person. I loved him so much. He was the first of the ones I was really close to that died. There was Grandpa P on J's side of the family who I only saw on occasion because he lived on the East Coast but I stayed in constant snail mail contact with. He just passed recently. I currently have Grandpa B in Oregon who is going to be 97 this September and Grandpa D in Nebraska (J's Gpa) who we play golf with everytime we see. I love these men, they have all had an impact on my life and I am thankful everyday for having had them touch my life in so many ways.

Lastly, there are the new "father's" in my life. These would include the father in laws (yes, two of them since J's mom is remarried) and my step father D who is married to my mom. These guys are awesome and add so much to my life. I love them all for the individual things they contribute. I enjoy including them in our Father's Day celebrations because even without me, they are all dads in their own right, and I just like to acknowledge that.

So as you can see, I have a lot to celebrate on this Thursday before Father's Day.....not a bad holiday at all.

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One Year Ago on In My Words....Coming Along

The Summer of Goodbyes (or See You Laters)

I just had to say goodbye to a second friend tonight. We had bunco first and then afterwards I had to say goodbye since I can't go to the airport to see her off tomorrow. We lost one friend earlier this summer and now S is on her way tomorrow.

Even though I have only known her for about 11 months, she is one of my closest friends. She has to be the nicest person I have ever met. I don't know that I have ever heard her say anything bad about anyone. She is one of those people that you feel like you have known forever and super close to within only a short while. She has a great family and I am sure they will be very happy in their new home but she will be sorely missed here. It won't be the same.

We all say that we aren't saying goodbye because this world is a small place and we'll get to see one another again, so I guess I will just say see you later for now.....but it doesn't make the ache in the heart any less.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Camping and Fishing

Yoshihachi

J and I went to Yoshi's for dinner the other night. It was a Friday night and I expected the place to be packed but it wasn't and it was a nice time. We ordered the Tuna Sashimi, the Veggie Tempura, the Yoshi Roll and the Alaskan Roll to share and it was plenty for both of us. Since it wasn't super busy, our food came pretty fast and we felt very relaxed and satisfied.

Afterwards, we walked along the seawall to work off the food and work in J's new slippers....overall, it was a great Friday night date.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words....Soccer

Reading for Mishka

Just updated Mishka's Reading with my May reads.....check it out when you have time.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words....Friday Night

Thursday Thanks

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I am thankful for this day. Those of you that know me in real life know exactly why.....that is all I can say!!!!!

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One Year Ago on In My Words...To The Lake

US flotilla leaving Myanmar coast with aid aboard - Yahoo! News

It made me cry this morning to read this article....these idiots don't give a crap about any one in their country. They could care less if all those people not only die but suffer doing so. I think we are giving them too much credit even remotely calling them a "government".

Even though I don't believe in it, I wish there was an afterlife so they could rot in hell.

Flowers Galore

I take my camera with me on my one hour walks in the morning. Sometimes I have lots to take pictures of and sometimes I don't. The light is usually great and that helps. The last few mornings I have been lucky and have found some gorgeous shots....too bad I can only post small unlinkable versions here due to thieves, but you'll get the idea of how great the flowers are.

That is one great thing about the weather here....seems like something is always blooming regardless of what time of year it is.





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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Weekend at the Beach

Why Don't We?

Think of smart cool things like this?

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Out and About

AC is Done

The repairpersons or should I say replacepersons, have been here and gone and now I have a shiny new AC unit in my office/guest room that has HEAT in it as well...no more freezing in the winter (who am I kidding, since we don't get below 50 most winters)...I am just excited to not be sweating in here when I am wasting time on the computer...haha. Even with little to now verbal communication available...sign language and written directions seem to be enough to get by and I have already deciphered the instruction manual so I will know how to use the remote.

My back is hurting a bit from my hour long speed walking the last two days so I decided to give it a break today but I wanted to hit some golf balls...I might have to hold off one day to just make sure I didn't tweak anything...can't be hung up with a back thing...too much to do.

I got the car washed and vacuumed yesterday and then of course it rained...I didn't mind though. The car is still clean inside and out and the rain watered everything and cooled things off a bit.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Weekend At The Beach

Checking It Off

I am making some headway in my To Do List. There are a few things that have been added and then checked off and then some of the old stuff has been checked off as well. It feels great to get some of it gone...out of my mind and off my list.

Yesterday was a particularly productive day and I hope to make today productive as well. I managed to get the three little videos put together and loaded to YouTube, that I had promised my friend I would do for her of her kids at their respective sports. That was a huge lift off my chest.

I also managed to get her scarf finished, which wasn't a huge deal but for some reason was taking me forever to do. I planted a few flowers to hang on our front gate and managed to get some Japanese studying in as well as some exercise.

Today has a couple of out of the house tasks on it but I think I will still get home to get some things off the list again today. I will get exercise (at least some of it) out of the way this morning before I even start anything else....have to make it a priority...what else am I to do at 6am in the morning...haha.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Cliffhanger

Determined

The humidity is here and I am afraid it is here for the duration of the summer. It hit a couple of days ago and I haven't had any windows open since. I miss it but it is unrealistic to think I can keep the windows open when the humidity is so high....everything inside will mildew...

So this morning, I went on a hard, hour long walk to get back into the groove. I know I have been saying this for months but I figure at least that I am continuing to try and that is what matters most. This was the first morning where I really got a sweat on, due to the humidity, and it felt good. It felt like I was doing something....so we will see how it goes.

I hope to get to the gym later today and perhaps even hit some golf balls...that would be fun. So here is to motivation, determination, and a better Mishka.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Wait'em Out

She's Always A Woman

Today, I was going through some CDs being donated to the libary, but that I needed to grab some songs off of. One of them was a Billy Joel Greatest Hits album and the title song above was one of them.

When I hear it, it reminds me of a very specific time in my life. I was a freshman in college. I had a group of friends in high school but most of them went away for school and I stayed in our home town for the first year because I really couldn't afford to do anything else. So I was basically starting out on my own for the first time in 12 years. I didn't know hardly anyone at my school and I actually kind of liked it. Growing up in a small town led to years of knowing the same kids, what to expect and how to get by. Now, it was all new and no one knew me or expected something specific from me.

I started to make decisions on my own. I started to spend time doing some things that I either didn't know I was interested in before or had put on the back burner because they didn't fit into my life. I left my high school job at McDonald's and started driving for Domino's pizza. I would deliver to the college dorms and started to meet a few people that lived there or worked with me at Domino's from the school. My confidence began to grow as I made friends.

I worked parttime at a boat yard at the lake teaching/renting sailboats. I made new friends there. I started to get noticed by boys that I didn't grow up with and this was a huge boost to my self esteem and body image...I think this was the first time since puberty that I felt like my body was cute. I learned how to flirt and enjoyed the reaction I could create. I never thought I was ugly growing up but I always thought I was fat, even when I was playing soccer year around.

I started playing soccer with the club team at the school and was the only girl on the team. I became the "little sis" to everyone on the team and it felt great to have a bunch of friends that I could count on.

Okay, so back to the song. During this time, one of the players developed a crush on me but I didn't know it. His name was Kevin and he was a defender like me. He was really nice and we were friends outside of soccer but I didn't know how he felt about me. We hung out all the time, went to dinners and I even went to see his trio play at the local restaurants.

At one point, I was over at his place, talking to him about this other boy I had a crush on...disappointed I believe because I had just discovered that he had a girlfriend back in his home town. It was hard on me because he also played soccer with us on occasion and so I would see him more than my heart could take. I confessed this all to Kevin not knowing how he felt about him.

The next week, he called me, telling me that we needed to meet. He had some news for me. So I met with him. He gave me this note and a cassette tape he had made for me. This Billy Joel song was one of the songs on there. I listened to the tape and read the note...I was shocked. I had no idea. I felt horrible for having confessed my feelings for this other boy to him knowing how much it must have hurt him. Problem was that I didn't feel the same for him as he felt for me. He had told me he loved me and would always love me. I didn't know how to react and thankfully because it was in a letter and on a tape, I didn't have to react face to face but eventually I did have to face him. He had said in the letter that he knew I didn't feel the same as him but that was okay, he still loved me and wanted to be my friend. It changed everything. We were never that close again.

The tape had some really awesome songs on it, and I listened to it long after Kevin was not in my life anymore but now, I always think of him and that time in my life when I finally realized the effect I might have on a boy and how that could be a good and a bad thing anytime I hear songs off that tape.

I wonder if I have the tape somewhere??? Knowing me, I have the letter somewhere in storage...but I am not sure about the tape.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Blog Passwords

Starbucks

I know I mentioned this in passing once.....there is a new Starbucks within a mile of my house. This is both good and bad. The good is that sometimes you just need it, and it is within walking distance so I rarely ever drive there....it motivates me to walk there even if I am meeting friends (which we do almost every Friday). It is also good because I have stock in Starbucks so seeing the company do well is reassuring to me....(I only have a few shares through TD Ameritrade so I am not a huge stock holder...haha).

The bad is that it is so close the temptation is always there. It also (along with the gazillion other stores that opened in the same area this month) causes a bit of traffic on the intersection we have to deal with on a daily basis. Good news on that front is that I am discovering work arounds....

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Back In The Land Of The Living

Thankful This Thursday

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I am thankful for our families as a whole. When J and I got married, our families barely knew each other because his mostly lived in California and mine was in Oregon. Now a large majority of his lives in Oregon and they all see each other occasionally. Having them centrally located has made things so nice for J and I because we want to spend as much time with them as we can when we are in town. Whenever we have get togethers in the States, it makes it easy to invite everyone to one function and see all of them at one time...it makes for great pictures too. Both of our families have been very supportive to us. They are there when we need them and are understanding of the distance we all usually have to live with. We would not be as successful as we are in our daily lives if it wasn't for them.

I am thankful for my friends here in Japan. We are all thrown together in different circumstances but manage to make the best of being far from our families. This summer a few of my friends are moving to new places and while I will be sad to see them go, I am excited for them to start a new adventure in a new place. Being that we have left this place before and a different set of friends then, we know how life can be completely cyclic and that we aren't going to be saying goodbye, just see you later.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Party's Over

How Often

do you get to see this side of a moth? They are hatching and breeding down the street on these particular trees (I am not sure if they are fig or olive). This moth in particular hung out on my slider for most of the day. The other night I came home and there were 6 of them on the sliders throughout the livingroom and tatami room. It is kind of cool to see so many of them but I am sad because the hatching/breeding is going on close to the road and I am sure there are lots of casualties to the road as well.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...We Be Wireless

How Is It?

These are two of the current ads in the sidebar of my blog. Do you see anything wrong with this? How is it that the powers that be at Google would think that these two ads would go together on the page, much less right next to each other?

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Baggers

Tropical Storm Halong Update

Well, now we are not in the ship avoidance area so we probably won't get much from this, assuming it stays on course. We are getting some rain and wind today but nothing too bad. The strongest winds we'll get will be this evening into tomorrow. It will be at typhoon strength by then but far enough away that we mostly won't feel it.

It is a good day to stay inside and tackle some projects that have been put off because of nice weather and the desire to be outside....haha.

I am continuing to eat soup but I am hoping to be done with that today as well..we'll see though because I still have quite a bit of it left.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Ten Years of Mishka

Happy Birthday Aunt L!!!

For me it was yesterday but for her, it is today....I hope you have a great birthday and you are able to relax and celebrate with family and friends. Don't think about school for at least a few hours, okay?

We love you and wish we could be there.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Happy Birthday Aunt L

Tropical Storm Halong

Well, this one looks like it won't hit us directly but it will skirt by us pretty close and will be at typhoon strength when it does. I might tie down some of the lighter stuff in my yard today in prep for tomorrow's gusts.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Reflections at Weymouth Woods Rerserve

As cyclone refugees wait, Myanmar refuses aid - Yahoo! News

What is wrong with these people?

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Reunions

Ouch

I walked 7 miles yesterday morning with a friend and while I was tired a bit when we first finished, I didn't feel any different the rest of the day.

Today I made soup for some friends (thank you to those that were able to make it over), and this meant being in the kitchen on my feet quite a bit. I also did a buttload of cleaning beforehand in prep for visitors. Now my foot has a sore spot on the bottom that feels kind of like a stone bruise.

It is weird because I wore little house slippers all day knowing I was going to be on my feet just to give them a bit of a break...guess it didn't work. Hopefully it will feel better tomorrow since I have to get some walking in.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...It's Official

Thankful Thursday

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I am thankful for my Aunt L. There was a period of my life when I was in high school when she seemed like the only adult I could talk to. I shared pretty much everything with her and because of that, she has always been close to my heart. She taught me (without even realizing it probably) that adults were human too and that they could be trusted with our dramatic high school lives when we needed them to. She and my uncle would sleep in the living room with us kids on "camp outs" on the weekend and we would stay up late watching scary movies (back in the days of only 4 channels on the TV). Her special relationship with my mom, even after they weren't "related" anymore has always been amazing to me. What a great example they set for us kids in their friendship.

I am thankful for my cat Chase. While she does drive me crazy at times, I am glad to have her around to keep my company when I am on my own. She loves us unconditionally and shows it in her headbutting (which she learned from Madison) and her licking. She loves nothing more than being the center of your petting attention and of course a few treats. I know she has been though a lot moving with us all over the place but I am glad that we have her and she has us.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Almost Done

New Art

I went to an art auction the other night where some of the proceeds were for charity. It was being hosted by a local organization but the art was all being provided by the same gallery that I bought my Norikane etching from a while ago. They were donating 10% of the profits to the organization along with all the proceeds from a few pieces that were labeled "special donation".

I had gone through all the items up for bid and circled on the ones I might want to bid on. I also went through the pre-sale items just to get an idea of what things were worth so I wouldn't go too crazy during the bidding process. Some friends and I went there together so we got some food and then settled in for the auction.

One of the pieces (I don't have a photo of quite yet) that I had my eye on came up right away in the bidding. I held off until the bidding slowed down but was still under what I thought it was worth. Then I made my move and I ended up getting it for about 60 dollars less than I thought it was worth originally.

Now it turns out that because it is an artist's proof, it is possibly one of a kind and worth quite a bit more than I first thought....this of course works for me. It is a Norikane print like the one I purchased from Kanda's before but this one is called Spring. It has a thatch roofed house in it and it has some of the artist proof items still in the printing, like the title and artist's name in writing in the corner but in reverse. I'll have to take a picture of it soon since I couldn't find an image of it anywhere on the internet. I don't think it is quite as well known as some of his other prints.

The second print that I bid on was much later in the evening. It was a special donation which meant that all the proceeds went to charity. I had thought someone had told me it was worth about 200 dollars so when the bidding got near there, I slowed down but then I was then told it was much higher than so I started to bid quite a bit and managed to get that one for about 185 dollars less than what it is sold for at the same gallery. I was very excited. This too, was a Norikane print and it is called Engawa-6. It has the shoji screens on it and I just love it.

Overall, I feel like I made two great deals. Now I have the Engawa-6 hanging in the living room, the Miyajima-2 in my office near my computer, and the Spring in my bedroom so I can see one of my prints no matter where I am in the house...haha.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Freedom Writers

Naha Harii

May 5th is Children's Day in Japan. It is marks one of the holidays that all fall during Golden Week (one of the biggest holiday seasons in Japan). It is also the traditional date of the Naha Harii (Naha Dragonboat Races).

I competed in the races for 3 years when we were living here before. I always enjoyed being a part of the culture and the experience that comes with it. It was a lot of fun. Twice now I have gone to the races as a spectator and experienced the festival side of the event. It also is a lot of fun.

This year, I went with a few friends down to the port. The weather was not terrific but while we were there, the rain stayed away and we were able to watch some of the races and get some festival food without getting soaked.

I'll probably blog a bit more about this in detail on my travel blog when I get a chance but I did take the opportunity while I was there to take some pictures and I wanted to post a couple of the ones I liked the best.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Mom Visit Update II

Boat carrying Myanmar aid sinks; toll climbs beyond 28,000 - Yahoo! News

I am amazed at how some humans treat each other and this planet...how do they sleep at night? It makes my heart ache to see this kind of thing. What is wrong with us?

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Corona

Super Typhoon Rammasun

Looks like it is going to miss us but we are still getting a few gusts from the out of season biggie.

The wind has been great this morning. I have all the windows open and the fresh air is awesome. The air is surprisingly, dry. The sun is shining, so for now, we don't have any rain coming from it. I think I might even get some sun today on the porch and then save my walk for later in the afternoon when the sun is not so potent so I don't accidentally double dip.

I might even make to the Makeman store to get some things so I can finish up some yardwork this afternoon...wouldn't that be great??? This kind of weather really motivates me to get outside and get things done.

Repotting

I managed to get off my butt and get some repotting done yesterday. I waited until late afternoon when our backyard was in the shade and then I took all of our house plants out back and moved them all up one size in pots.

I also got all the flowers I purchased last week put into pots and placed around the yard so it looks nice. I need to go back to the store and get more dirt and herbs so I can plant the last pot of herbs.

Once I am done with that, I need to get some yardwork done....there is really no excuse for the state of my front bed, other than procrastination. I am sure the owner drives by and just cringes. There is a dead small tree in there that has to come out as well.

So while I was able to cross off 1 1/2 items off the To Do List above, I still have some work to do. I don't know if the weather will cooperate for actual planting today but at least I can get the shopping part done.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Mom Visit Update

New Feature

I just found out this new feature on my digital camera. I can save pictures that I might want to use in blogs or email to people as a much smaller file while the pic is still on my camera. Then when I download them, they have a different file name and I can pick them out and put them in my blog or email folder.

Cool beans...saves me from having to reduce them in a photo editor just to blog about them.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...80 Years Old

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!

For me, her birthday was yesterday, but for her it is today. I sent her card and gift in my Mother's Day box to her house so she probably doesn't have it yet but I hope it gets there before the weekend.

As you can tell from my last week's Thursday Thanks....my grandma means an awful lot to me. She is the best and she deserves to have a great 82nd birthday. We love you Grandma, have some fun on your birthday. We wish we could be there.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Me, Myself, and I

Thanks on This Thursday

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I am thankful for my Aunt C. She has been a light in my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, she mostly lived in California but I always looked forward to the annual trips we would make to see her and her family. She has always seems like an icon of fashion and trends to me. She is so cool. Today, she lives in Oregon near some of my other family and I am priviledged to see her everytime we are in town. She is a beautiful person inside and out and has always gone out of her way to make everyone around her feel good about themselves. She has a huge heart and is always trying to help those that have less than her even when she doesn't have a lot herself. She is there for my grandparents, should they ever need her. She is one of my favorite people and I am so glad to have her in my life.

Today is a hard day for me to find something else to be thankful for. I am burnt out in general, but I think that is why these kinds of projects are so important. They force me (and hopefully others) to look deeper to see the beauty in things even when things are hard. So I guess I will say that I am thankful for the willpower to find something beautiful in the small things in my life even when I don't want to. On my walk today, I saw some amazing flowers in bloom and said "ohayo gozaimas" to some friendly people working on their fields or fishing at the beach. The sun was on my face and the breeze was at my back and overall the day is just awesome. I need to take my camera with me tomorrow so I can get some shots of the flowers.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...They Arrived

Antique Sake Cups

I picked up three of these the other day when we were on a antique shopping run. I think they are a great little piece of history. They are WWII military sake cups. I don't know if I will collect anymore of them but I thought having a small token set of them was cool. Two of them are from honorable discharges and one is from victorious return from mission.



Note: I left the link in so you could see a larger version if you want.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Checking The Items Off

Tropical Cyclone Death Toll in Myanmar

It keeps rising. I might see if I can send some money via the Red Cross but I hope that it gets to those that need it and not just to the pockets of the government there that doesn't seem to care about it's people.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Mom Visit

Antique Kokeshi Dolls

Here are a couple of shots of my current collection of antique kokeshi dolls. I tend to like the ones that are hand painted but the striped one did grab my eye. Some of these, I have had for a few months and then some I have had for a few days.

I didn't get any on the most recent antique expedition, but I plan to go back there. Rumor has it that sometimes the owner gets in the itsy bitsy ones that are almost as small as a grain of rice...this is just something I have to see.


Amongst my group of friends, the antique ones are becoming much more popular than the newer ones you can find at the various gift shops. I like both but the newer ones have to be unique to really get my attention.

Some of the antique ones have heads that squeak when you twist them...the owner gave us the impression that the sound is specific either to the doll or to the family that made (makes) that particular style of doll. We were quite astonished when he grabbed one of the dolls and squeaked its head but once we knew what he was doing, we readily walked around the store twisting doll heads ourselves.


Some of the other antique ones have bobble heads. You can see in one of my pictures that the head of one of mine is tilted off to the side...that is a bobble head. I found a bunch of small antique dolls in a clearance bin at a store one time and I am planning to send some of them to the States to friends and family...I think there are some bobble heads in there too.

Note: I left the links to the bigger pictures in so you could see the detail if you wanted.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Whew!!!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is creeping up on me (at least it didn't come early like daylight savings and Easter did) and due to my distance from those I like to acknowledge for Mother's Day, I have to get my stuff out a bit early.

I am trying to finish up my cards, and packaging so I can get it all in the mail by Monday in hopes that it will reach it destination before Mother's Day. Keep your finger's crossed for me. This is probably the latest I have ever sent this stuff out. Thankfully, it is all going to the west coast and the mail seems to get there pretty fast.

I am already going to be late on my grandma's birthday since her gift is in the same box with the Mother's Day stuff, but I am hoping she will forgive me.

Right now, it is only the cards that are keeping the boxes from being taped up so I better get going on those so we can be done before Monday and ready to go.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Come Back Birds

Update to Mishka's Reading

I was able to update my reading blog today with the books I read in April. Check it out if you have time...

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Passive Aggressive

Thankful Thursday

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I am grateful to my grandma. She has been there my whole life, helping to mold me into the person I am now. When I was young, we would see her off and on, since we had to share her with our cousins who lived in California, but by the time I was in 4 grade, she was permanently living in Oregon with us or near us. I remember watching movies with her in her room and having her there after school everyday. She taught me to hand embroider (something I do to this day), and still makes beautiful linens and blankets for those she loves. I get my neatness and cleaniness from her via my mom (I am sure). She is a great cook and some of my favorite recipes are ones I grew up eating from her kitchen. Nothing says home like pintos, potatoes and cornbread. I am sure she doesn't know how much she has meant to all of us grandkids but I would like to hope we give a bit of it back to her now. Her birthday is this month...she will be 82. She was like a second mom to me when I was a kid and still holds one of the closest spots to my heart.

I am thankful for the postal service. If mail was not as fast as it is these days, it would make staying in touch with my family much harder than it already is living so far away. It makes it possible to pass back and forth needs and gifts that help all of us feel so much closer to each other. I realize that it costs more than it used to, but it is much faster than it was a long time ago, and relatively speaking, it is much cheaper than other options out there.

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One Year Ago on In My Words....Barely Moving

Art Purchase

Yesterday two of my friend's and I went to a little hole in the wall Japanese antique store. We had heard about it from another friend.

When we first walked in, I didn't think I was going to find much. We came specifically to check out the antique kokeshi doll options (since we seem to be into those more lately than the newer ones). I have a few of them that I will post about later and am always looking to see what might be available.

As we were walking around looking at things and saying "oh how cute" about a gazillion times, we started to unearth a few things. The owner didn't seem to mind if we dug through boxes or opened cabinets so we went ahead. He would tell us in Japenglish info about whatever we happened to be looking at. He had several books he would reference and it seemed like the longer we were there and the more interested we seemed, the more free flowing the information became. It was a great experience.

In the cabinet below the big kokeshi doll display there were all these handpainted little cups. Turns out they are military sake cups from WWII. I ended up with three and he gave me a sheet that tells me what the writing in them is for. I'll post about them later too.

Next to the cabinet was leaning a reproduction print from a famous artist that did pictures of kabuki actors. I have been wanting a woodblock kabuki print for some time and told myself I would get one before we left this time.

Well, I have one now. The owner told me that the print is 85 years old. The original is in a museum. The back has some information about the artist and the subject of the print. I realize that it is not an original but to have something that beautiful and old is still an awesome thing. The artist's name is Sharaku and the subject's name is Otani Oniji.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Poison/Oak Ivy

Patio Turmoils

I wake up this morning, and the umbrella, that was in the center of my table stablized by a stand underneath my table last night, is sitting on the deck next to the table. I am lucky it wasn't in the pond or worse, in someone else's yard...haha.

When I got home just now, I found a little beautiful moth in my pond. At first, I thought it might be in there on purpose but then it seemed to be struggling, so I went out there, picked it up and put it on the patio chair so it could dry its wings. It stood there for a bit letting the wind flutter through its wings and then it took off flying again...I felt good about saving it.

The pic is from last summer when I found one outside our house...but it is the same type of moth.

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One Year Ago on In My Words....Soccer Woes

Rain Is Back

Some of my projects are on hold because the rain came back today. I did get a couple of boxes in the mail this morning and I paid some bills at the Family Mart yesterday so I am not completely worthless. I also went to this cool festival that I will blog about on my travel blog later and leave an update notice about. I rode my bike to the festival so I got some exercise as well. I spend the last of the afternoon at the beach with a friend and took some cool shots.

Overall, a somewhat productive weekend. How was yours?

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Made It Home

Beachin' It

Yesterday was the official season opener for the beach down three blocks from my house. I beat the traffic and parking mess by just walking down....works for me.

I met some friends there and we watched the kids on the waterslide and tried to keep them from drowning when they came out. We had some lunch and just enjoyed being out in great weather that is not yet hot and humid....

I managed to keep from getting sunburned, just a bit of pink on the top of my feet but otherwise, I am good. This is great because usually the first day out in the sun here results in an uncomfortable few days afterwards.

There was a lot of seaweed on the beach, it smelled great. There was one man in a less busy part of the beach shoveling it up into his truck...he must use it for mulch or something because there was way too much sand intermixed and I don't think people eat this type much. It was not nori. I bet it makes his garden smell like the beach....what a great air freshener.

On the way back home, I saw a guy taking pictures (which I should have done more of) and he asked me in Japanese (which I only speak a few words of) if he could take my picture. This conversation was accompanied by hand motions and head nodding. He took my pic while I stood up on a big volcanic rock on my way back home. I would have loved to see how it turned out but probably never will...oh well, it was fun.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Updates

Busyness

Wow, Friday was busy for me. I had a get together at a friend's where we made some awesome Mother's Day cards (although I'll keep most of them as examples to use to make more from to send to family). That lasted most of the day because we had some breakfast and lunch to consume as well. It was fun hanging out with some of my friends in a relaxed and fun environment.

In the evening, some of us were heading to a bunco party being hosted by a service organization we are close with. It was fun, but not quite what I was expecting. We had a good time of it though, we always do.

Later one, K and I had told a friend we would show up at their get together for a bit and we did. It was fun even though it was cold out and I wasn't really dressed for it. We were able to get in some people watching (drunk ones can always be very amusing). We hadn't seen our friend for several months so it was great to catch up and retell some of our hilarious stories. Now we have heard another friend might be in town in a few week so we might have to schedule some food or something....that would be great to catch up. We'll see what comes about...

Anyhow, I got home late and decided to sleep in a bit....and I was actually able to...miracle of miracles...haha.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words....Utterly Ridiculous

Thanks on Thursday

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I am grateful for my dad. He chose to be my dad even when he didn't have to and without him, I would have been lost. He also gives me perspective when I come to him with questions and opinions. He is my friend. He has always brought out the goofy, spunky, and spontaneous side. He taught me to not let things get to me and ruin my day. He rubbed my back at night when I had a nightmare and told me that everything was going to be okay. He always had a lap big enough for me and my sister.

I am thankful for the sun. Today was a beautiful day and it really makes me think about how lucky we all are to have this wonderful planet to live on and enjoy (assuming we don't mess it up). Spring is in the air and the flowers are in bloom, the birds are chirping and the cycle moves on. It is refreshing to see.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Technical Difficulties